Developing synergies between the National Disability Insurance
Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
Donna McDonald, Katy O’Callaghan
Report to the Department of Education and Training, Victoria
26 November 2015
Developing synergies between the National Disability Insurance
Scheme and the Victorian government school system
Introduction
About 7.5% of children in Victorian schools have a disability (ABS 2009). Education
systems are obliged to ensure that school students with disability can participate in
education on the same basis as other students (Commonwealth of Australia, 2005).
However, this can be difficult when students have support needs that are currently
outside the funding responsibility of education departments. These ‘whole of life’
supports may not be directly related to accessing the school curriculum but they have
an impact on students’ personal wellbeing and quality of life.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) seeks to address these issues. The
intent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act) is to
facilitate full inclusion in mainstream community, and to maximise independent
lifestyles for all Australians with disability (Commonwealth of Australia, 2013, p. 4).
The legislation thus gives effect to Australia’s obligations under the Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ratified in New York on 13 December 2006.
From 2016, Australians up to 65 years of age—and including school-age students—
with permanent and significant disabilities will be able to apply for the whole of life
disability supports that will support them to continue with their education and foster
economic participation. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is the
agency responsible for implementing the legislative intent of the NDIS Act. Trial sites
have already been established in most Australian states, including the Barwon Trial
Site in Victoria, to test and review interactions between the NDIS legislation, the
NDIA, and other service systems.
By defining its own responsibilities, the NDIS brings into stark relief the
responsibilities of other systems. The NDIS is not a system of first resort. It does not
replace the support reasonably provided by families or informal mechanisms, and nor
does it over-ride the obligations for inclusive polices, practices and services of other
systems such as education, health and transport.
The education system, like other service delivery systems, is still working through
where its responsibilities for their students with disability begin and end. In particular,
the education system is engaged in defining the threshold between pedagogy and
curriculum support on the one hand, and functional support for the students on the
other. The challenge is establishing sensible boundaries without foregoing
opportunities for collaboration and partnership.
The NDIS advances several concepts and process issues of relevance for the
education system, schools, and families with school-aged sons and daughters with
disability. They include concepts such as ‘choice and control’, ‘individualised
funding’ and ‘individual’ goals, aspirations and needs, ‘reasonable and necessary’,
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
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and ‘functional capacity’ (Commonwealth of Australia, 2013). These concepts in turn
result in new and different processes, challenges and issues for schools, families and
students with disability for different and competing reasons. For example, families
need to familiarise themselves with new processes to access support services for their
sons and daughters with disability, which can be challenging, particularly in the early
stages of implementation (NDIA, 2014a, p. 15; JSC, 2014, pp. xv, 31, 55-58, 87, 121,
135). In turn, the education system and schools will develop new systems, networks
and approaches to be responsive to the impact of the NDIS.
About this report
The Victorian Department of Education and Training is conducting a review of its
Program for Students with a Disability (PSD). This program provides targeted
supplementary funding to government schools to support eligible students with
disability.
The review aims to respond to stakeholder concerns about the scope of the PSD and
the PSD funding allocation process. Students with disabilities who have low to
moderate special needs (around 11% government school enrolment) do not attract
targeted funding. Funding is allocated to the school, not to the child. The use of these
funds and the associated decision-making and monitoring varies. Many
stakeholders want additional supports, including a broadening of the eligibility
criteria. For example, specialist schools benefit from access to student transport
resulting in significant economies of scale. In addition, some specialist settings
(including Autism specific schools and facilities for deaf students) attract more
funding than the students would otherwise receive through the PSD if they were
enrolled in a standard specialist school or a mainstream school.
As part of the review, the Department commissioned Dr Donna McDonald, Senior
Research Fellow, Griffith University, and Katy O’Callaghan, Director, Outpost
Consulting, to write a report on the interface between the NDIS and school education.
This report aims to identify areas of potential policy and service contradictions or
discrepancies, as well as possible policy and service delivery synergies between the
NDIS and the Victorian state education system that could improve or streamline
support to children and families.
This report was prepared by reviewing research articles, policy statements, reports
and commentary related to the implementation of the NDIS that are in the public
domain. Little peer-reviewed literature is available on this emerging issue.
Consequently, focused conversations were also conducted with key expert informants
who provided their insights on this topic (see Attachment A). These discussions
highlighted evident complexities and apparent contradictions that need to be resolved.
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Differences in approach
The NDIS
The NDIS is a social insurance scheme to provide funding for Australians with a
permanent and significant disability to participate in social and economic life. As
such, it aims to respond to their whole of life disability needs. It is not a capped
program but a total pool of funding in which all Australians share. However, any
supports funded under the NDIS must be considered to be ‘reasonable and necessary’.
Individuals can access funding from that pool when they meet certain criteria. They
must meet age and residence requirements:


be aged less than 65 when they first access the scheme, and
be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen who
holds a Protected Special Category Visa. (A Protected Special Category Visa
is a temporary visa introduced for New Zealand citizens who were residing in
Australia in 2001, before visa rules were changed).
They must also meet either the disability or the early intervention requirements. For
children under 7 years, an NDIA delegate would first consider whether the child
meets the early intervention requirements, before considering the disability
requirements.
The disability requirements state that:





The person must have a disability that is attributable to one or more
intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory or physical impairments or to one
or more impairments attributable to a psychiatric condition, and
The impairment or impairments are, or are likely to be, permanent, and
The impairment or impairments result in substantially reduced functional
capacity to undertake, or psychosocial functioning in undertaking, one or more
of the following activities:
i.
Communication
ii.
Social interaction
iii.
Learning
iv.
Mobility
v.
Self-care
vi.
Self-management, and
The impairment or impairments affect the person’s capacity for social and
economic participation, and
The person is likely to require support under the NDIS for their lifetime.
(NDIS Act s.24)
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The early intervention requirements state that:




The person has one or more identified intellectual, cognitive, neurological,
sensory or physical impairments that are, or are likely to be, permanent; or
o the person has one or more identified impairments that are attributable
to a psychiatric condition and are, or are likely to be, permanent; or
o the person is a child who has developmental delay.
The provision of early intervention supports for the person is likely to benefit
the person by reducing the person’s future needs for supports in relation to
disability.
The provision of early intervention supports for the person is likely to benefit
the person by:
a.
Mitigating or alleviating the impact of the person’s impairment upon the
functional capacity of the person to undertake communication, social
interaction, learning, mobility, self‑ care or self‑ management, or
b.
Preventing the deterioration of such functional capacity, or
c.
Improving such functional capacity, or
d.
Strengthening the sustainability of informal supports available to the
person, including through building the capacity of the person’s carer.
Even if a person meets the test above, that person does not meet the early
intervention requirements if early intervention supports:
a.
are not most appropriately funded or provided through the NDIS, and
b.
are more appropriately funded through:
i. Other general systems of service delivery or support services offered
by a person, agency or body, or
ii. Systems of service delivery or support services offered as part of a
universal service obligation or in accordance with reasonable
adjustments required under a law dealing with discrimination on the
basis of disability. (NDIS Act s.21, 25(3) and 34(1)(c)).
Actuarial modelling is used to estimate and manage the costs of care and support
across the life-course.
Rather than assessing a person based solely on their disability diagnosis (eg cerebral
palsy, autism, deafness), assessment under the NDIS is based on how the person’s
impairment arising from their disability reduces their functional capacity to take part
in everyday activities. The funded categories are aligned to the World Health
Organisation’s International Classification of Function (WHO-ICF, 2001). Supports
are only funded if they are considered ‘reasonable and necessary’ to help a participant
to reach their goals, objectives and aspirations, and enable and economic
participation. For a support to be deemed ‘reasonable and necessary’ it must:
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




be related to the participant’s disability,
not include day-to-day living costs that are not related to a participant’s
disability support needs,
represent value for money,
be likely to be effective and beneficial to the participant, and
take into account informal supports given to participants by families, carers,
networks, and the community. (NDIA, 2014i)
The most significant—and indeed, dramatic—break from past disability funding
schemes is that the NDIS funding goes directly to the individual participants, not to
the service providers who have traditionally received ‘block grant funds’ to ration and
allocate among their clients as deemed necessary. This individualised funding is
designed to give ‘choice and control’ to individuals with disability.
Within the boundaries of their plan, participants in the scheme can choose what
service they want to use to implement their NDIA plan, and they can negotiate with a
service provider on where, when and how they want their supports delivered, up to a
point. For example, if an NDIA delegate considers that it is more cost-effective for
the support to be provided through bulk purchasing of goods by the NDIA, then the
plan must specify that that support will be provided by the NDIA. Participants can
manage their funding directly, choose a family member, friend or other plan manager
to help, ask the NDIA to manage and pay for supports on their behalf, or they can use
a combination of these options (NDIA, 2014b).
This all sounds good. However, the flexibility to choose is meaningless if you do not
know how to choose, or how to manage your choices safely and effectively. The
NDIS principles of ‘choice and control’ come with the day-to day-realities of making
sense of new rules; acquiring new skills; grappling with new paperwork, application
forms and planning documents; and finding the way through a maze of new services
and new ways of doing things. Most (if not all) people with disability, and their
families and carers will need help in taking up the opportunities of the new (NDIS)
way of choosing, managing, and reviewing their supports and services. This need for
supported and informed decision-making has been recognised by the NDIA and state
governments alike.
To ensure quality and safety in the context of choice and control, NDIS providers will
need to be vetted and monitored. This is particularly important in a rapidly expanding
market. A national NDIS quality and safeguards framework is being developed which
aims to maximise the opportunities for people with disability to make decisions about
their supports while also enabling them to live free from abuse, neglect and
exploitation.
State-funded school programs
The Victorian Department of Education and Training has responsibility for over
560,000 students in more than 1,520 government schools (DEECD, 2015b, p. 3). The
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Department offers an extensive range of policies, programs and resources for schools
to support the learning needs of students with disabilities. The Department’s
disability support programs include:







The Abilities Based Learning and Education Support (ABLES) program that
provides a suite of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and reporting resources that
assist teachers support students with disability
The Schoolcare Program, which enables students with ongoing complex medical
needs to have their health care requirements met safely at school
Equipment grants for students with visual impairments
An accessible buildings program
Language Support Program to support students with mild to moderate language
difficulties
Specialised schools, including fifteen autism inclusion schools.
Student support services including psychologists, social workers, youth workers,
speech pathologists, School Nursing Program and visiting teachers.
The Program for Students with Disability supplements these resources. It provides
resources to schools for a defined population of students with moderate to severe
disabilities. Supports funded through the PSD include relevant aids and equipment,
specialist staff and accessible learning resources. Unlike the NDIS where money is
allocated to the individual, funding under the PSD and most other state-funded school
programs is provided directly to schools based on their enrolments of students with
particular disabilities.
Funding provided to schools under the PSD assists them to meet their legal
obligations under section 32 of the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act
(DDA), which states that education providers must comply with the Commonwealth
Disability Standards for Education 2005. The Standards, which are reviewed every
five years and are being reviewed in 2015, seek to ensure that students with disability
can access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. ‘On the
same basis’ means that a student with disability must have opportunities and choices
which are comparable with those offered to students without disability. This applies to
admission or enrolment in an institution; participation in courses or programs; and use
of facilities and services (Commonwealth of Australia, 2005). To achieve this goal
requires education providers to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to accommodate the
education needs of a student with a disability. Schools are required to make
reasonable adjustments for a student with a disability regardless of whether the
student may meet the eligibility guidelines for a targeted funding program such as the
PSD.
Reasonable adjustments are based on the perceived individual learning needs of the
student. Adjustments can be made in both the classroom and whole-school settings as
well as at an individual student level. An adjustment is considered reasonable if it
achieves the purpose of providing access and participation, while taking into account
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the student’s learning needs and balancing the interests of all parties affected,
including those of the student with disability, the education provider, staff and other
students (Commonwealth of Australia, 2005).
The DDA uses a broad definition of disability in order to provide protection against
discrimination for a wide range of people. The disability does not have to be
permanent, as is controversially the case with the NDIS. While the NDIS has been
built to come in and out of people’s lives as required (such as for episodic events), the
controversy arises in the mental health sector as contemporary mental health and
psychiatric interventions are based on the recovery model.
Under the PSD, for a school to receive additional targeted funding to support a
student, the school needs to provide evidence that the student’s disability falls within
one of seven significant disability categories—physical disability, visual impairment,
hearing impairment, severe behaviour disorder, intellectual disability, autism
spectrum disorder, or severe language disorder with critical educational needs. That
evidence has to be aligned with corresponding eligibility criteria, which spell out key
functional descriptors and corresponding required documentation to establish
eligibility under each disability category (DEECD, 2015b). Although these eligibility
criteria are developed from guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO),
the seven categories do not include all conditions covered under the DDA, such as
mild sensory impairments or health conditions, and only apply to children with
moderate to profound disabilities. The PSD’s application of the WHO categories is
also different from the NDIS’s application of the WHO-ICF approach, which is less
prescriptive about disability type and focused more on functional capacity.
Unlike the NDIS, the PSD is not restricted to Australian citizens. International
students enrolled in Victorian schools, including refugees and migrants, are eligible to
apply for the program on the same basis as Australian students. Refugees also have
access to other schooling support in Victoria, including the Refugee Education
Support Program.
Who funds what?
The NDIS is not intended to replace the funding obligations of mainstream services.
On the contrary, it is intended to increase the capacity of people with disability to be
included within the mainstream community by accessing appropriate, high quality
services and support systems. Further, the NDIS is not designed to pick up any
shortfalls of mainstream settings including schools.
To increase clarity and transparency about funding responsibilities, governments have
agreed to applied principles and tables of supports that define whether the NDIS or
another funding or service system is most appropriate to provide supports (COAG,
2015). These principles specifically address the interface with each mainstream
system. The principles for school education are provided in Box 1 below. They
recognise the universal and statutory role of the school system and the legal
responsibilities of schools to make reasonable adjustments, along with the
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responsibilities of the NDIS to fund supports related to daily living where they are not
primarily related to educational attainment.
Box 1 - Applied Principles – School Education
1.
The allocation of funding responsibilities between the NDIS and Education Department
will be consistent with the legal obligations of schools, and governments’ policy
objectives for education including:
2.

the compulsory nature of schooling

the current responsibilities schools have for reasonable adjustment, under the
Disability Standards for Education

curriculum and planning, including requirements for students to receive the
legislated number of hours of instruction or meet class attendance requirements.
In recognising the universal and statutory role of the schooling system:

schools will be responsible for personalising learning and support for students that
primarily relate to their educational attainment (including teaching, learning assistance
and aids, school building modifications and transport between school activities)

the NDIS will fund supports that the student would require which are associated with
the functional impact of the student’s disability on their activities of daily living (i.e.
those not primarily relating to education attainment), including personal care and
support and transport to and from school. Any funding arrangements for individual
students will recognise the operational requirements and educational objectives of
schools.
3.
The allocation of funding responsibilities will avoid placing inappropriate legal or
financial obligations on schools or on the NDIS.
4.
The NDIS and the school education system will work closely together at the local level to
plan and coordinate streamlined services for individuals requiring both school education
and disability services recognising that both inputs may be required at the same time or
through a smooth transition from one to the other or across service systems.
[Note: further work will be undertaken on how students’ personal care needs will be assessed, the
calculation of the level of funded supports for personal care and how these funds will be
managed/administered.]
(COAG, 2015)
Importantly, the overarching principles include an objective to minimise the
administrative burden for families in navigating the two systems. They state:
The interactions of people with disability with the NDIS and other service
systems should be as seamless as possible, with a no wrong door
approach, and minimising the impact of system and organisational
boundaries on people with disability, enabling coordinated and integrated
plans, supports, referrals and transitions. (COAG, 2015)
In some areas, by referring to the applied principles, it is quite clear which agency is
responsible for supports. In other areas, the responsible agency might be different
depending on the context and circumstances. The information in Table 1 (see below)
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has been adapted from the NDIS Fact Sheet (2014) Mainstream interface: school
education and the COAG Statement (2013) Principles to determine the
responsibilities of the NDIS and other service systems and based on conversations
with the Department of Education and Training’s NDIS Implementation Unit. It
indicates some of the nuanced complexities in determining roles and responsibilities.
It is important to note that responsibilities for support do not always lie with
government agencies. It will vary depending on an individual’s situation and goals.
For example, individuals themselves and families have a role in funding some
education-related supports such as school uniforms, school fees, excursion fees and
transport, where possible.
Table 1: Division of responsibilities: NDIS and schools
NDIS
Some specialist
transport to and from
school required because
of a students disability
(depends on level of
parental responsibility
prescribed in individual
plans)
Specialised support to
transition between
schools or from school
to post school options
Specialised support and
training for school staff
related to the specific
personal support needs
of a student with
disability, including
specific behaviour
management plans
Schools
Skilled teachers,
learning assistants,
facilitating access to
educational resources
Making reasonable
adjustments to
curriculum to enable
access by students with
disability
Support to transition
between schools or
from school to post
school options
Making reasonable
adjustments to school
buildings (eg ramps,
hoists)
Day to day
supervision, including
addressing behavioural
issues while at school
General support,
resources, training and
awareness building for
teachers and other
school staff to support
and engage students
with disability at
school and in the
classroom
Context Dependent
Therapies
 NDIS when required
to support functional
capacity
 School where it is
specifically for
education attainment
Aids and equipment
 NDIS when
transportable and
required for a range
of life domains (eg
wheelchair, hearing
device)
Still to be determined
Personal care (further
work is being
undertaken on how
students’ personal care
needs will be assessed,
the calculation of the
level of funded
supports for personal
care and how these
funds will be
managed/administered)
 School when
primarily for
education attainment
or when fixed in a
facility
Transport
 NDIS - specialist
transport to and from
school required
because of a students
disability
 School - Transport for
school activities such
as excursions
 Parents – when
deemed a parental
responsibility
prescribed in
individual plans
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Grey areas
The NDIS trial sites around Australia, including in the Barwon Trial Site in Victoria,
are providing the opportunity to test and review interactions between the NDIS and
other service systems and consider any lessons arising for full scheme
implementation. The division of responsibilities does not appear to be
straightforward or well understood in practice. Variations and negotiations occur at
both at the local level and at the strategic level. One of the people interviewed for this
report said:
Families could go to NDIA and have a discussion with planner and say I
really want my child to read and write but more than that I want them to
build their social skills so that they are not left in the playground on their
own. It would vary from school to school on whose responsibility it would
be to support those social skills at school.
Whether this is accurate or not, it is nevertheless the reported experience of some
families and demonstrates at the individual level the confusion around boundaries.
The NDIA, government departments and other stakeholders are systematically
working through these issues. For example, a policy workshop was held in 2015 in
the Barwon region to work through some of the areas of confusion and contention.
This collaborative work will continue during the trial period, in preparation for the
full scheme roll-out.
The following areas are emerging as ‘grey areas’ where further investigations and
negotiations are needed to clarify responsibilities and/or improve the linkage between
the NDIS and education systems. These should not be read as criticisms of the NDIS
or current education system programs, but rather as areas where greater clarity may
improve the experience of the student.
Transitions to and from school
Transition points are of particular relevance to the NDIS design. Part of the rationale
for implementing the NDIS was to overcome the disruptions caused by supports
either dropping away or changing as people move into and out of various funding
programs. The NDIS recognises the need for lifetime support that responds to key
transition points in people’s lives. Nevertheless, as students move into and out of
school systems, a transition period inevitably occurs where extra coordination is
required to address changing eligibility for NDIA and mainstream supports.
Consultations indicated that more work is needed to understand who has the primary
role for providing information and induction into the school system. According to the
NDIS principles, the NDIS will not be responsible for funding supports such as
school readiness programs, which are for the purpose of accessing a universal service
(school). Another current issue is that children in Victoria enrolled in Early
Childhood Intervention Services (ECIS) receive less support when they transition to
school. Alignment between NDIS early childhood intervention service models and
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PSD support models would provide more certainty and stability for children and
families, particularly during the period of transition to school. For example, in the
early years children are supported through a key worker model. Continuing this
approach through the early years of school would create some constancy while the
child is adapting to a new education environment.
It is also important to consider those children that do not require any supports until
they enter school. While the ECIS has had a wide gateway in Victoria, some children
still do not come to school through the ECIS. For example some children with
developmental delays may not be diagnosed until school age. These children may
transition into the NDIS and a school program at the same time. Clear
communication and coordination to create alignment between addressing functional
needs (NDIS), and addressing learning needs (schools) would be important for these
families.
Transition from school to further education or employment is another area, where
clarity on the best approach is needed. Tasmania is piloting the School Transition
Project, which looks at improving the pathway for young people from school into
employment through an integrated planning model. The School Transition Project
aims to integrate planning processes for students with disability in years 11 and 12
through a series of meetings. The key stakeholders including the NDIA, Disability
Employment Services, the Department of Human Services, Australian Disability
Enterprises (ADEs), the school and the student are brought together for joint planning
sessions. This model looks to streamline an otherwise complex transition process
which potentially involves up to four different plans: one with the NDIA; another
with the school; one with a disability employment service provider; and a fourth
related to the receipt of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) (JSC, 2014, p. 53). The
NDIA in Victoria is planning to pilot a similar integrated transition pathway.
Consultations indicated that funding to support collaborative ‘visioning for the future’
might be another area of benefit to stakeholders. Schools traditionally offer career
planning as part of their curriculum. But the NDIS also has a role in increasing the
career aspirations of people with disability as part of promoting social and economic
participation. An intent of the NDIS is to improve transitional planning for students
with a disability. With new work options available to people with disability, schools,
career planners and NDIA planners will all be challenged to think more creatively
about what their students with disability can do in the future with the support of the
NDIS, in line with their own goals and aspirations.
Following on from education, one of the key intentions of the NDIS is to improve the
scope of employment for people with disabilities. The Productivity Commission
report cited research showing people with mild, moderate or severe disabilities who
are on the Disability Support Pension (DSP) have no greater an employment
likelihood than people with profound disabilities. These results point to the powerful
effect of incentives, job opportunities and attitudes, rather than just disability, as a
major factor in job outcomes (PC, 2011, p. 277). The NDIA and schools could work
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together with students in the senior years to ensure high aspirations for employment
among students, families, teachers and career advisors.
Personal care
The scope of the NDIS’s legislative responsibility for personal care at school is still
under debate at a national level (JSC, 2014, p. 222). This is partly because schools
retain duty of care obligations for all students, not just students who are NDIS
participants. While personal care (assistance with meals, toileting, managing airways
etc) is considered in scope for the NDIS, it should only be funded by the NDIS where
it is deemed to be beyond ‘reasonable adjustment’. Under the Disability Standards for
Education personal care mostly fits within the definition of reasonable adjustment
because it is central to everyday function and therefore to learning. However, the
meaning of ‘reasonable adjustment’ is always a subjective consideration based on the
nature of the disability and various local and systemic issues. Thus it is unclear
whether and to what extent ‘reasonable adjustment’ extends to personal care in every
case. Other difficulties arise in measuring and costing this role; understanding a
school’s legal duty of care for students; and working out how to provide an
individualised and intermittent service efficiently.
One exemplifying issue is that often some or even many students within a school
require personal care. A potential issue under the NDIS is that some students may
prefer their own personal carer. However, with each personal care session lasting
perhaps 20 minutes and personal carers entitled to minimum shifts, an individual’s
NDIS-funded package would be quickly eroded. It is acknowledged that some
workforce challenges are inherent in this complex issue, but from a value for money
point of view, families may be better off pooling their money, rather than each
employing individual carers for longer shifts than required.
From a practical point of view, it makes sense for a school to employ one personal
carer to work with all students, rather than having several personal carers entering and
leaving the school grounds. This is also important from a legal duty of care
standpoint. If personal care is delivered by external providers in schools, principals no
longer have complete control over the care and supports in place for these students.
Furthermore, schools would need to invest in processes to supervise and vet external
providers. However, a policy tension arises here as this model goes against the
‘choice and control’ principles of the NDIS. Sometimes a balance will need to be
found between the concepts of ‘choice and control’ and ‘reasonable and necessary
support’.
Another issue is that Education Support Officers are employed in Victorian schools to
undertake a range of tasks to provide support to students with disabilities. For some
students this includes personal care. Negotiations between the NDIA and state and
territory governments are continuing about whether parts of the Education Support
Officer’s role could or should be part of a child’s NDIA plan, and therefore funded by
the NDIS. However, workforce complexities arise in transferring this responsibility
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to the NDIS. Personal care in schools is not currently funded as a discrete program or
delivered by a discrete workforce and the industrial implications are still unclear.
For the trial period, the education system has maintained their existing arrangements
for personal care. This has limited opportunities to test and resolve issues to date. As
decision-making on support for students in schools is made locally, there is currently
no central identification, quantifying or costing of personal care in schools. A
significant administrative audit and analysis is required before transfer of
responsibility can occur.
Therapists
The interventions provided by therapists tend to cross developmental and educational
boundaries. When therapy is used to support a learning activity, it can often also be
used to reinforce developmental goals, and vice versa. When a therapy goal supports
both learning and development, it can be framed either way. See case study in Box 2
below.
Box 2: Case study on therapy
In reviewing their NDIA plan, a family asked for their child’s therapy to be redesigned with a view
to improving her fine motor skills so that she could learn to hold a pencil and eventually draw and
write. The NDIA planner advised that as learning to write relates to education and isn’t a life goal,
that it would be the responsibility of the school to provide this therapy. The family then rephrased
their goal for their daughter as needing therapy to be able to do up shoelaces and buttons. The
therapy was then approved and included in the NDIA plan.
The same type of therapy was required but because it was ultimately not couched in education
terms, it was funded through the NDIS.
For younger children, in particular, families often want to access as much therapy as
possible in the hope that therapy will lessen the longer-term impact of a disability, and
thus therapy is often a key feature of a child’s NDIA plan.
The Victorian Department of Education and Training’s student support services have
a varied role. In addition to performing assessments of students in relation to an
potential or existing disability, and in some circumstances, providing therapeutic
intervention, they provide advice and make recommendations to schools about the
reasonable adjustments within student’s education plan which may include including
modifications to curriculum, teaching methods and classroom practice. Most student
support services are employed by the Department. However, in some mainstream
settings, school councils also directly employ their own allied health staff to work
specifically at their school to meet the needs of students, which may include therapy.
While therapy is common in specialist school settings where allied health
professionals are often on staff, consultations indicated that access to therapy in
mainstream schools was often limited to one or two sessions a term and that schoolbased therapy tends to be primarily provided in group settings.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
14
Often, the most effective delivery model is for therapeutic supports to be provided in
situ (ie in schools, in homes), to allow children to remain in their natural settings
(Bundy, 2012, p. 26) and, importantly, to ensure they do not leave school to attend
appointments. But as much as students have a legal obligation to attend school
fulltime and thus schools seek to limit their absences, practical issues arise when
allowing multiple external therapists to come on to school grounds. Principals have
duty of care and safety issues to consider. One example arose in consultations of 67
therapists wanting to access one classroom. Furthermore, if therapy is provided only
at school, families are not part of the process and miss out on information about how
to apply the therapeutic approaches that promote their child’s learning and
development.
The provision of therapy by departmental staff depends upon whether the therapy has
an educational purpose, and whether the therapy could be considered a reasonable
adjustment to support that student's learning. The challenge is finding out what the
purpose of the therapy is, how it can be delivered in school, and if it is appropriate to
do that considering legal obligations, the student’s learning and the impact on other
students. It is not easy to unbundle what is curriculum support, what is whole of life
support and what is a school’s role in the NDIS objective of social and economic
participation.
Ideally, the NDIA, schools and families would have a shared understanding of the
goal of the child’s therapy and be able to integrate the therapy provided at school and
at home. Discussion should focus on whole of life goals and how therapy supports
these rather than narrow, bureaucratic considerations, as occurred in case study 2
above. This would require joint approaches to planning, monitoring and funding
therapeutic interventions.
Currently, therapy in schools is dealt with on a case-by-case basis, with decisions
about access ultimately being made by the principal. The Department has developed
some guidelines for principals in the Barwon trial site to help them make decisions
and think through practical arrangements in relation to allowing therapists to operate
in schools. The guidelines outline the various considerations involved and states that
whether a principal decides to grant or refuse access to NDIS-funded therapy in
school during school hours, a clear rationale needs to be provided for the decision.
The guidelines also strongly recommended that a meeting should take place between
the school, the parents of the students and the NDIS-funded therapist to confirm the
details of any arrangements that might take place (DEECD, 2014).
Transport
Specialist transport to and from school is within the scope of the NDIS. A student
with disability is entitled to NDIS funds for transport assistance to and from school if
they cannot use public transport without substantial difficulty due to their disability,
and if this transport does not fall within the scope of parental responsibility under the
student’s NDIS plan. At the same time, the Department of Education and Training in
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
15
Victoria currently provides specialised school buses for children attending Specialist
Schools. Children with disability attending mainstream schools can also apply to the
Department of Education and Training for transport support (eg taxis) if they need it.
Transport services arguably need to be provided more equitably across mainstream
and specialist settings. It is true that the NDIS cannot simply take over the funding
for the specialised school buses because some students on these buses will have an
NDIA plan that includes transport support and some will not. On the other hand, it
does not seem to make sense from a financial or environmental point of view to use
individualised transport for large numbers of students going to and from the same
place every day. How the NDIA treats transport is yet to be determined; significant
work is required in this area. Viable arrangements need to be established that do not
disadvantage either group of students, while at the same time upholding the NDIS
principles of supporting inclusive participation in the mainstream community.
This issue will not be resolved quickly. Very many stakeholders are involved in the
transport of students beyond the NDIA, schools and families. They include Transport
Safety Victoria, numerous bus service providers and drivers, local councils, the
Victorian Taxi Directorate and the Department of Transport. In addition, policies
about licences, regional area boundaries, eligibility and so on are varied and complex.
The existing arrangements are continuing in trial sites until workable alternatives can
be agreed.
Aligning planning and assessment processes
Differences in approach
All governments state that their policy objective is to streamline and reduce the
administrative burden on families and individuals with disability to access services.
The National Disability Strategy 2010 - 2020 requires governments to:
reduce barriers and simply access for people with disability to a high
quality inclusive education system (COAG, 2010, p. 11)
The Productivity Commission in proposing the establishment of the NDIS said that:
Collaboration between the NDIS and education departments should be
based on agreed frameworks and boundaries. It would be odd if children
receiving supports through the NDIS were subject to vastly different
criteria for school based supports (PC, 2011, p. 248).
The criteria to access the NDIS are different from those of the PSD because they are
focused on different goals. The PSD is focussed on support for learning and on
accommodating students with disability in schools on the same basis as other
students, whereas the NDIS is focussed on providing a broader range of support to
maximise independence and meet lifetime goals. Schools will always have students
who are ineligible for services under the NDIS but who meet the eligibility
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
16
requirements for support under the PSD (eg migrants on temporary visas, students
with a temporary disability). Similarly, schools will have students who are eligible for
NDIS funded services but who do not need specific learning support at school (eg
students with a physical disability who do not require reasonable adjustments for
learning, other than that the school’s built environment be physically accessible).
Nevertheless, opportunities for synergies are available for exploration. Consultations
indicated that differences between the current PSD planning and assessment
arrangements and the NDIS approach create potential complexities for families. These
differences include:





Types of information required for eligibility. The PSD requires formal
assessments, including medical assessments by specified professionals for
eligibility under some disability categories. NDIS participants do not necessarily
have to provide diagnostic or medical information.
Eligibility criteria. Access to the NDIS is based on an assessment of functional
capacity. Access to the PSD is based on standardised assessment and cut off
points do not necessarily relate to functional capacity. (An example was given of
a child becoming ineligible for PSD if their IQ increased from 69 to 71, despite
this change being unlikely to have a significant impact on their functional
capacity).
Planning and assessment focus. The focus for the PSD assessments is on how the
disability impacts the child’s education. The focus for NDIS assessments is on
individual goals and how to achieve them.
Review schedules. The PSD is formally reviewed in Year 6-7. A reappraisal can
be submitted up to once per calendar year to establish if additional supports are
required. The review schedule for the NDIA plan is individualised. It is usually
reviewed annually unless a change in circumstances arises.
Monitoring arrangements. Progress of students supported under the PSD is
monitored via a Student Support Group. A Student Support Group is a
cooperative partnership between the student’s family, school representatives and
professionals to ensure coordinated support for the student’s educational needs.
The Student Support Group reviews and evaluates the student’s program once per
term (four times per year), and at other times if requested by any member of the
group. The NDIA plan is formally monitored to ensure strategies are achieving
intended outcomes. Monitoring strategies include feedback from participants and
other significant people in the participant’s life about the quality and effectiveness
of supports received under the plan and outcomes of the plan, monitoring
expenditure of NDIS amounts, and feedback from Local Area Coordinators.
Opportunities for alignment in planning and assessment
In revising planning and assessment processes for the PSD, it is worth considering
applying, where possible, the good practice processes employed by the NDIA. The
NDIS is here to stay; all states and territories are looking at ways to align their
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
17
programs to the NDIS. Box 3 below highlights some good practice elements of NDIS
planning and assessment processes. Adopting these approaches, wherever possible,
would reflect the latest developments and thinking in applying flexible, strengthbased processes while making planning and assessment easier to comprehend and
respond to for families working between different funding streams.
One innovation being implemented under the NDIS is having the participant lead the
planning processes. In accordance with the NDIS Act 2013, during the planning and
assessment process people with disability are assumed, so far as is reasonable in the
circumstances, to have capacity to determine their own best interests and make
decisions that affect their own lives (NDIA, 2014f). The NDIA planning process
begins with the participant completing a participant statement. This describes their
goals and aspirations, what is important for them, the supports they have in place, and
the activities they are undertaking. In this way, NDIA plans are individualised and
strongly linked to goals. A copy of the participant statement for a child is provided at
Attachment B.
Box 3: Good practice elements of NDIA planning and assessment processes
Provision of information
1.
NDIA officers must draw on and reuse existing information. Only when this is
inadequate can delegates request additional information that is reasonably
necessary for the purposes of preparing a statement of participant supports.
2.
Participants do not necessarily have to provide diagnostic or medical
information. Relevant information can come from other sources such as
Centrelink or existing providers.
3.
If information is likely to take a long time to be provided, a plan can still be
approved with a review date of when the further information becomes
available.
Planning process
4.
The conversation with the planner is led by the participant, based on their goals
and aspirations. The focus is on strengths and abilities that can be maximised or
enabled, rather than deficit focussed.
5.
The participant’s statement of goals and aspirations and environment and
personal context is prepared by the participant, with or without support.
6.
If a participant has existing supports, provided through other programs, the
delegate should seek to minimise disruption to these supports.
Monitoring and review process
7.
Plans are reviewed when circumstances change or at pre-appointed times. The
review schedule will be different for each individual.
8.
Plans are monitored to ensure they are meeting the intended outcomes,
including through feedback from participants and Local Area Coordinators.
Adapted from NDIS (2014) Operational Guidelines – Planning and Assessment
and NDIS (2014) Operational Guidelines – Monitoring and review of a
participants plan
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
18
Challenges
An identified demand pressure in education that may have an impact on the
implementation of the NDIS is the school system’s capacity to meet the support needs
of students with disabilities, including those who do not meet the eligibility guidelines
of the PSD. A 2012 review by the Victorian Auditor General received reports from
parents saying that they had been discouraged from enrolling in particular schools
because the principal did not believe the child would be able to access PSD funding
(VAG, 2012, p. x). This situation was also reported in consultations, and is a national
concern. A recent survey by Children with Disabilities Australia found 68 per cent of
parents believe their children are not receiving adequate support due to a lack of
resources, and 84 per cent of school principals have diverted funds from other parts of
school budgets because targeted resources are not available for students with
disability (CDA, 2015). The Victorian Equal Opportunities and Human Rights
Commission reported similar findings in their 2012 report, ‘Held Back: the
experiences of students with disabilities in Victorian schools’. In that report, parents
identified lack of teacher training, teacher time and specialist supports as the biggest
barriers to their child’s participation. Educators identified lack of funding and
resources.
That said, some stakeholders suggested that part of the reason people identify a lack
of funding by schools is that many of the things schools do provide for students with a
disability are bundled together, as part of a general service, and as such they are
invisible to families and other stakeholders. In Barwon, for example, some families
did not identify transport or attendant care as a need in their plans because the school
had always met those needs. With the NDIS putting pressure back on mainstream
systems to define what they will provide, schools will need to unbundle the specific
supports they provide to students with disabilities, understand their dollar value, and
clearly articulate this to families.
The lack of processes to link the two systems is also a problem. Stakeholders
interviewed for this report observed that currently no direct linkages are available
between NDIA planners and those who work closely with children in schools.
Systemic connections between a child’s developmental goals and their educational
goals also seem to be absent, as evidenced in the Barwon NDIS trial site. While most
families in the Victorian trial site appear to have discrete, separate plans, unless they
are particularly well informed and proactive about sharing their plans, no formalised
structure is available yet to facilitate that process. This is currently being investigated
in the Barwon pilot.
The NDIA has a project underway looking at the feasibility of joint planning
approaches that align with the NDIS principles requiring a ‘no wrong door approach’
and ‘coordinated and integrated plans, supports, referrals and transitions’ (COAG,
2013). The project, called the ‘Shared Support Plan Project’, is the result of a
commitment by the NDIA to the Victorian Children Services Coordination Board to
examine ways for the NDIS to work seamlessly with other supports. The aim is to
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
19
produce just one plan documenting an individual’s needs and goals to be shared with
all support services. The NDIA has surveyed families in the Barwon trial site about
what they would like to see in the plan and how they would like the NDIS and school
supports to work together. At July 2015, the next step is to interview school
principals for their responses to the families’ aspirations.
A critical time for families is in the lead up to the planning conversation with an
NDIA planner. Families need to understand at this time what support schools will
offer and if their plan includes educational strategies, how they would be
implemented in the school. Goal setting for school age children would ideally be a
joint process involving the NDIA planner, the school, the family and the student with
disability. Consultations undertaken for this report found that a lack of understanding
by planners about school programs has been a barrier to a more coordinated approach
and sometimes wrong information is given to families within the NDIS trial sites
about how the various school-based support programs work.
An important development in the Barwon trial site is the introduction of specialist
planners (rather than generalists). The NDIA in Barwon has a children’s directorate
with specialised teams. This has reportedly helped with fostering understanding
between the NDIA, school and other children’s programs and services.
Whatever approach is taken, many families will need help from independent
advocates or Local Area Coordinators (LACs) appointed by the NDIA to understand
the interaction between the two systems. Local Area Coordinators help people with
disability, including those who do not become participants, to be linked up in their
community and assist to coordinate the supports they receive through the NDIS and
the supports they receive outside the NDIS (NDIA, 2013b). Appointing LACs with
specialist knowledge of the needs of and services for children and young people will
also help promote understanding amongst families.
Streamlining processes raises questions about data exchange between the education
system and the NDIS. On the one hand, processes could run more smoothly with less
likelihood of people falling through the cracks if a systematic process was in place for
transferring information about students between the two systems. On the other hand,
legitimate privacy and confidentiality concerns arise about data exchange. For the
Barwon NDIS trial, the NDIA now has permission to access students’ PSD
applications from the Department, with parental consent. This approach was initiated
to reduce the paperwork burden on parents and schools.
Collaboration to improve learning
Many of the sticking points at the interface of the NDIS and schools could be
improved with more effective collaborative approaches. In the trial sites,
collaborative processes and structures are being set up to problem solve and crossfertilise ideas. As the NDIS rolls out across all of Victoria (and Australia), it will be
important to maintain and build on these structures to formalise collaborative
arrangements.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
20
However, agencies and stakeholders need more than a shared understanding of the
formalised processes. Innovations are also needed in internal administrative
structures, leadership approaches and cultural practices to foster opportunities for
collaboration. In 2015, the Mitchell Institute published a research report, ‘The shared
work of learning: Lifting educational achievement through collaboration’. The project
undertook detailed case studies in schools that are successfully using collaboration
within and between their schools to lift student outcomes in the face of socioeconomic disadvantage. The project found that by facilitating networks across a wide
range of schools and communities to increase their access to information,
opportunities and expertise that would otherwise be unavailable within the limits of
an individual school, education can become more than the sum of its parts.
When the complexities of regular school obligations are over-laid with the additional
organisations, professionals and relationships required to deliver the best learning
opportunities for students with disability, the need for collaborative approaches
becomes even more apparent. ‘The shared work of learning’ report outlined some
key features of collaboration that could be applied to improve the NDIS-education
interface, including a shared purpose focussed on student achievement and wellbeing; trust; administrative structures that allow for sharing time, funds, physical
resources and knowledge; and equally prioritising student well-being and attainment.
Opportunities for synergies
This analysis has uncovered several opportunities to improve the connections between
the NDIS and school support programs.
Information sharing
1. Ensure the Department of Education and Training’s disability support program
areas work with local NDIA managers and planners to facilitate understanding
about how the existing programs work and how they could integrate better
with the NDIS.
2. Consider the role of schools in providing information to families about the
NDIS and NDIA to ensure students are accessing all the support they are
entitled to and understand how their education goals can support their
developmental goals and vice versa.
3. Work with the NDIA on protocols for data exchange with the aim of
preventing duplication of processes across systems and reducing the
paperwork burden for families.
Clarifying areas of responsibility
4. Work with the NDIA on clarifying responsibility for the ‘grey areas’ in a way
that makes practical and financial sense and maximises benefits for students.
5. Wherever possible, work with schools and families to ensure administrative
arrangements allow for therapeutic interventions to be implemented in both
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
21
family and school settings and can reinforce both education and
developmental goals.
6. Work with the NDIA to maximise alignment between early childhood
intervention services and services provided through schools including the
PSD. Consider extending the key worker model applied in the early years into
the first years of school.
7. Consider the lessons from Tasmania’s School Transition project and
Victoria’s work on integrated transition pathways to ensure the PSD provides
appropriate support during complex transition processes.
Aligning planning and assessment
8. Work towards having a joint education and NDIA plan for school-age
children, which includes supports provided through the PSD that respond to
both developmental and learning goals.
9. Introduce goals, outcomes and milestones into PSD processes, as well as
regular opportunities for review, so educators and families can track progress
and understand if the strategies are working well or need changing.
10. Ensure that both the education system and the NDIS apply similar principles
to their planning and assessment processes, including strength based and
participant-led approaches.
11. Move towards an assessment approach that considers functional impact of the
disability, rather than severity of disability.
Capacity building
12. Recast the PSD as a program that promotes active participation of students
with disability, rather than a response to anti-discrimination laws, and train
teachers in skills for actively including students with disability.
13. Implement a communication strategy to ensure school principals and teachers
understand the interface between the NDIS and schools and the importance of
a coordinated approach.
14. Assist schools to separately identify and cost the supports they provide to
students with disability as part of their general service and to clearly
communicate to families about everything they offer.
15. Convince schools of the benefits for students with disability of collaborative
approaches to education and skill principals and teachers on how to
collaborate effectively with key organisations and individuals in the lives of
students with a disability.
A word of caution
The NDIS is a long-awaited, strongly supported step-forward for children, young
people and families. However, it will create systemic upheavals along with anxiety
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
22
about what its introduction will mean for individuals. The review of the PSD, while
also welcome, will introduce another element of uncertainty. Particular care needs to
be taken at this time to bring families and stakeholders along with any reforms. One
of the people interviewed for this report provided the following word of caution:
Be careful not to unravel a system and replace it with something else that
is also inadequate. What replaces the current program shouldn’t just be
another, different hurdle that may or may not give better outcomes for
kids. Don’t rush it.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Victorian Government school system
23
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Attachment A – Key informants
Appreciation for their time and expert insights go to:
Stephanie Gotlib, CEO, Children with Disability Australia
Stephanie Gunn, Manager, Community Development Authority, National Disability
Insurance Agency (NDIA)
Georgina Lyell, Manager, NDIS Implementation Unit, Department of Education and
Training, Victoria
Christine McClelland, Acting Director Children, Service Delivery Barwon, (NDIA)
Elizabeth McGarry, CEO, Association for Children with Disability Victoria
Vanessa Robinson, Assistant Director, Agreements and Practice Design, NDIA
Di Strachan, Assistant Director, Children, Service Delivery, Barwon, NDIA
Attachment B: NDIS Participant Statement: Child
What is the participant statement?
The ‘Participant statement of goals and aspirations’ is the description of how your
child would like to live their life in the future. It also includes information about their
life, what is important for them, the supports they have in place, and the activities
they are undertaking. Your child’s National Disability Insurance Agency planner will
discuss this information with you during your child’s planning and assessment
conversation.
Your child’s participant statement will become part of their NDIS plan. You can
change or add to your child’s participant statement over time.
Who should use this template?
You can use this template on behalf of a young child if your child is unable to prepare
their own statement. A different template is available for an adult or older
child/adolescent whose is able to prepare their own statement or prepare it with
assistance.
Why should I use this template?
This template can help you think about what needs to be in your child’s plan. If you
have more information you would like to provide, you can attach extra pages or any
documents you think may be relevant.
You do not have to use this form.
If you need some help to prepare your information contact us on 1800 800 110.

— phone 1800 555 677 then ask for 1800 800 110.

-to-speech relay) user — phone 1800 555
727 then ask for 1800 800 110.

— visit the National Relay Service website and
ask for 1800 800 110.
Or you can send an email to [email protected]. For more information go to
ndis.gov.au
Participant’s name:
Your NDIS number number:
Name(s) of person(s) assisting with or preparing this statement on behalf of the
participant
Your relationship to participant (e.g. parent, relative, carer, guardian, nominee)
First name: Last name:
Daily life
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Describe your child’s day to day life
For example, what activities does your child participate in such as education and
social activities? What are the things in your child’s life that are working well for
them, what are the things your child would like to change or improve about their life?
What are the things that your child enjoys or is good at?
Living arrangements
Describe your child’s current living arrangements
For example, who does your child usually live with, what sort of accommodation do
they live in? Is there anything your child would change about their living
arrangements to make things easier for them?
Relationships and supports
Your child’s current relationships and supports from other people
For example, the family and friends your child sees regularly, the people who play an
important role in your child’s life and how they help your child.
Your current supports
Please complete the table below to indicate the amount of each type of support you
are receiving at the moment. Include all the disability supports you currently get
regardless of how they are funded, any mainstream or community supports you access
as well as support provided by family and friends. Do not include supports you do not
receive but would like to have. Your service provider may be able to help you.
Type of support
EXAMPLE:
Assistance with daily personal
activities
Assistance with daily personal
activities
Day program or community access
Transition program
Participation in community, social
and civic activities (like a sport or
community activity)
Assistance in shared or group
living eg supported
accommodation
Case management or coordination
Therapeutic support
Behaviour support program
Respite
How much support do
you and how often do
you get it?
What service
currently provides
your support?
3 hours per week
Supports4U
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Other, specify
Other, specify
Please provide details of any aids, equipment or modifications which your child
currently uses as a result of their disability, and how often they use them.
Type of aid, equipment, How often is the aid, equipment or modification used? Eg
modification
daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly or annually
Example
Daily
Manual wheelchair
My child’s goals
What are the things your child most wants to change or achieve in their life in the next
few years? Write these down under the heading that best describes the area it relates
to. You don’t have to write down a goal under every heading – just the ones that are
most important to your child:




Education
Social participation
Independence
Health and wellbeing
What my child wants to achieve in their plan (my child’s plan objectives)
Thinking about your child’s goals, what do they want to achieve during their plan?
This could be the first step towards achieving a goal listed above. Only write down
what they want them to achieve under the headings above where you have a goal.
How my child will achieve it
This could include the strategies that your child, you or your family or friends could
undertake to help your child make their plan work for them.
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What supports my child has to help them
This includes family and friends and other informal supports, mainstream and
community supports and disability supports your child may have that can help them to
implement their plan.
What supports your child might still need
Thinking about what supports your child already has, what other supports could help
make your child’s plan work such as particular community or mainstream services or
disability supports?
My education related goal is:
What my child
wants to achieve
during this plan
(my child’s plan
objectives)
Supports my child has to help
How my child them achieve this objective
will achieve this (including informal supports,
objective?
mainstream and community
(strategies)
supports, and disability
services)
What is
stopping my
child from
achieving this
objective?
My social participation related goal:
What my child
wants to achieve
during this plan
(my child’s plan
objectives)
Supports my child has to help
How my child them achieve this objective
will achieve this (including informal supports,
objective?
mainstream and community
(strategies)
supports, and disability
services)
What is
stopping my
child from
achieving this
objective?
My independence related goal:
What my child
wants to achieve
during this plan
(my child’s plan
objectives)
Supports my child has to help
them achieve this objective
(including informal supports,
mainstream and community
supports, and disability
services)
What is
stopping my
child from
achieving this
objective?
Supports my child has to help
How my child
them achieve this objective
will achieve this
(including informal supports,
objective?
mainstream and community
(strategies)
supports, and disability
What is
stopping my
child from
achieving this
objective?
How my child
will achieve this
objective?
(strategies)
My living arrangement related goal:
What my child
wants to achieve
during this plan
(my child’s plan
objectives)
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services)
My health and well-being related goal:
What my child
wants to achieve
during this plan
(my child’s plan
objectives)
How my child
will achieve this
objective?
(strategies)
Supports my child has to help
them achieve this objective
(including informal supports,
mainstream and community
supports, and disability
services)
What is
stopping my
child from
achieving this
objective?
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